England have been hit by another serious injury blow after Saracens centre
Brad Barritt was ruled out of the autumn international series with an ankle
injury.

Barritt, who underwent corrective surgery on ligaments in his foot on Friday, is not expected to be back in action until the New Year, which puts his participation in the 2014 Six Nations in doubt.

With the season only a week old England head coach Stuart Lancaster has already lost two players from the Elite Player Squad named in August.

Leicester flanker Tom Croft, who spent much of last season working his way back to full fitness after a career-threatening neck injury, will not play again this season after suffering a cruciate knee injury in last weekend’s opening Aviva Premiership match against Worcester.

Barritt, 27, has been the mainstay of the England back line since Lancaster took over almost two years ago. He has been a virtual ever-present at inside centre, a solid, dependable figure and the leader of the England defensive line.

He was rested for England’s tour to Argentina in June but was summoned from holiday in America to play for the Lions against the Brumbies in Canberra. Barritt has had ankle problems in the past and the club are unsure yet as to whether he has aggravated an injury picked up against Toulon in the Heineken Cup or has sustained a new injury.

“Brad has been outstanding for us for the last four season and we will miss him,” said Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall. “Brad has not had a break in that time so he has a lot to look forward to when he does get back.”

There is already a significant toll of injuries occurring from those who were on the Lions tour with Wales and Racing Metro centre, Jamie Roberts, also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Leicester duo, scrum-half Ben Youngs and centre Manu Tuilagi have yet to play this season as they recover from shoulder problems picked up in Australia. Wasps wing, Tom Varndell, who is not in either of the EPS squads, is also missing through injury.

Barritt would have found himself under pressure for his place this season from the likes of Gloucester’s Billy Twelvetrees as England look to broaden their attacking options. Bath’s Kyle Eastmond also acquitted himself well in Argentina.

England appeared to have developed strength-in-depth but those resources are already being eroded. The alarming prospect for Lancaster is that there are still two months of Premiership and European action to get through before the first of the three Test match series against Australia at Twickenham on Nov 2.

The International Rugby Board took the remarkable step of censuring one of its top officials yesterday when overturning the yellow card shown to South Africa’s Bismarck du Plessis for a supposedly illegal tackle of All Black fly-half, Dan Carter, in the first half of the Rugby Championship match in Auckland on Saturday.

Du Plessis picked up another yellow card early in the second-half and was duly sent off. New Zealand ran out 29-15 winners. However the IRB have moved to correct the error of French referee, Romain Poite, and indicated that the mistake will be taken into account for future appointments.

“Just as players and coaches makes mistakes, the decision was an unfortunate case of human error by the officials who fully recognise that they made a mistake,” read an IRB statement.